Is it child abuse when parents refuse financial help for college?
Karen, while your parents are perhaps misusing their power, threats of, or actually withholding, financial assistance for continuing education does not constitute child abuse. Financial assistance by parents is a “gift” not a guarantee. While some might say that the mere threat of withholding funds is emotionally abusive, the fact is, your parents have the right to decide where and how their money is spent, unfair as that may sound to you at this moment in time. But that does not mean you cannot follow the career of your choice. Yes, going through college without the financial aide of one’s parents can be extremely challenging; I don’t deny that, since I’ve been there myself. As an older teen, I worked full-time at night and went to classes during the day in order to finish high school (grades 11 and 12—I completed all but 2 course credits because after 18 months I was too fatigued to continue). However, later, in my twenties, I worked full-time and went to school at night at the Briti
